You actually don't need to be a "master" at it. Just use some time out of your day to study a little bit (you can learn basic music theory in an afternoon) and just stop whenever you feel like you understand why the stuff you like sounds like it does. Most trap stuff is diatonic and even the jazziest lofi you hear doesn't go beyond secondary dominants and tritone subs. Take those terms and do with them what you feel like, I swear it is not that hard if you start from the very begining.
Spell's chord progressions are fairly easy, sometimes he just uses two chords. For his example in Beat 1, the chords progression he uses is I-V in the key of G# or Ab. It's his technique, use of extensions alongside his melodies and inversions that make his chord progressions sound unique. Just use the minor scale. (1 is the root note of whatever key you're using). Minor scale: 1. Minor 2. Minor-Diminished or Minor 3. Major 4. Minor 5. Minor or Dominant 6. Major 7. Dominant Hope this helps :) Note: I am not an expert in music theory, I just learned the piano from YT as well.
@@JBRitchie8 well that is either a development of music theory knowledge, or it is a your ears, over the years of playing you start to realize what sounds good together and what doesn't, even without music theory. Either way you have to practice piano or whatever instrument you want to get good at it, it won't come over night, no shortcuts.
For people with bad ears, you can cheat and learn at the same time by using an EQ that lets you hover the mouse over the spectrum and tells you what note that is. In Ableton that's EQ Eight, with the arrow clicked to expand it up bigger. Play the sample and hover the mouse over all the little peaks. Play those notes on the piano to compare.
6:64 "Flick" = "Slide" = Legato sliding from a note to the note that hits the 'correct note' or 'root note'. Rickenbecker (Kontakt instrument he is using) basically emulates sliding your finger on the physical string of real bass it emulates so if you play a note then another while still holding the 1st it sound like that. You can also slide from a higher note but it generally doesn't sound as good. If it was a synth you would need to have portamento/legato ON and possibly a polyphony of 1, depends. If this was a Piano then this ''flick" could be called a "Trill" or "Slip" since pianos can't slide. Great video, I've watched hundreds of bassline videos and this is one of the best. 👍
Thankyou Spell! Almost every video I watch of yours, I always think to myself how you do it? So cool to have you explain what how you go about your process and being you doing it. Not throwing all the technical jargon around and just saying it how it is to you! Love it bro
Appreciate you breaking it down g. No amount of technical knowledge can match your inner musician and just “figuring it out”. Always learning from your approach and steez
this is great man, as someone who knows a chunk of music theory there is still absolutely no substitute for actively using your ears and trying, trying again, practice
Why are people so scared of music theory? It just helps you put a name to sounds that you already know. But the most important thing is training your ear.
Can we get a video of your approach on how to chop samples? You’re so good at it and it’s never natural for me and it would be great to see your approach and knowledge on it
Great breakdown! I'm a senior in music school, a self taught composer and jazz trained bassist who's been consecutively failing theory until a couple semesters ago and now I'm in the last of those classes and lemmie tell yall.....FUCK theory 🤣 it's literally just a Eurocentric explanation of what your ears can just hear, or not hear if you're tone deaf lol but it *can* help when you need it mind you.
I love all of your vids, but I would love to see more shit classes like this lol. As a producer it helps a lot seeing the way other people go about doing stuff.
Thanks so much for making this vid, its helped sooooooooo much ahhah. would love to see one on chords as well! (I know its a crap tonne of experience haha but would love to see some of ur best tips etc!)
I CANT PLAY IT BUT I USE MY YEARS AND I GET THERE .. HAVING A FULL SIZED PIANO AND PRATICING IS THE BEST CUZ SOMETIMES YOU JUST LET YOUR HANDS DO THE THING AND THEN YOU MOVE SOME NOTES IN THE PIANO ROLL
You should make tutorials more often. You know more about music theory than you think even if you don't know the terminology. You've developed a really strong musical intuition which imo means you likely have some tips or other little things to share that even someone who studies music theory wouldn't think to mention. Also for anybody that likes the two note flick another good one to add some flavor to your music is to flick down one note so before you play a note you play the note that's right above it for a half a second. I find it's a good way to accentuate high notes.
@@JBRitchie8 idk about him but personally most of what I've learned in my years making music just came from making music. The best way to practice is to just make alot of music. Experiment and don't be afraid to make bad songs just get stuff out and move on. May not be the fastest way to learn but it is a good way to build intuition and what you could call "musicsense". Also don't be afraid to steal ideas from other songs (so long as you're not making money off it) or even just take a break from writing your own stuff and instead choosing to work with other people's music as well. The thing he showed in this video about listening to songs and trying to find the low notes is actually really good advice and you should definitely try it out.
@@degiguess Thanks, but I feel like I can't make music. I don't know which notes to press or how to play so I guess I have to play along songs and learn to play music first.
@@JBRitchie8 Something else you could try is finding existing chord progressions and using them as a base then trying to add your own bass and melodies to them. Also watch frankjavcee if you haven't already he has some good how to videos. His channel is abandoned but back when I first started making music he was the guru that got me through the initial "I have no clue what I'm doing" phase.
6:27 its called a slip note or hammer note, it became popular in country music in the 60s after Floyd Cramer used it in his songs btw thanks for being crazy at music lol
Good info Dexter. I call it slide note because he is using bass. Slip is used for Piano and afaik it's not an official term. I've never heard of "Hammer Note" note but it's also valid since it probably cames from the Guitar term "Hammer On" which pretty much does the same thing only a lot faster then sliding.
Please do more of these types! You hit a nice balance here between explaining the process in creative terms, but not so much that it’s vague and useless advice
5:30 this man plays crazy lick after saying he was only gonna use 2 notes and asks what he just did cause once the keys started getting pushed down all he saw was red
How do you get so good at the piano? I practice. People have no idea what that word means anymore. Wanna be good at something that's what is needed to get better. PRACTICE !! Great video bro.
Can someone help me out? Why do the low notes on bass sound so quiet compared to the higher bass notes? I feel like every time I use a bass, even if it’s just a sine wave, I have to automate the volume for the lower notes, but then it starts to redline. HELP! Does it have something to do with harmonics?
i fucking love this guy, teaches us godly masterclass and then says "idk what a root note is" what a legend lmaoo
I think many of us (me af) would appreciate a video on your approach to finding your chord progressions with out being a master at theory 🙂
You actually don't need to be a "master" at it. Just use some time out of your day to study a little bit (you can learn basic music theory in an afternoon) and just stop whenever you feel like you understand why the stuff you like sounds like it does. Most trap stuff is diatonic and even the jazziest lofi you hear doesn't go beyond secondary dominants and tritone subs. Take those terms and do with them what you feel like, I swear it is not that hard if you start from the very begining.
Spell's chord progressions are fairly easy, sometimes he just uses two chords. For his example in Beat 1, the chords progression he uses is I-V in the key of G# or Ab. It's his technique, use of extensions alongside his melodies and inversions that make his chord progressions sound unique. Just use the minor scale. (1 is the root note of whatever key you're using).
Minor scale:
1. Minor
2. Minor-Diminished or Minor
3. Major
4. Minor
5. Minor or Dominant
6. Major
7. Dominant
Hope this helps :)
Note: I am not an expert in music theory, I just learned the piano from YT as well.
@@Zer0Spinn spooky language
@@spell316 You may not know the words, but you are doing the thing brah. Next time you're taking a dookie watch a music theory 101 video or something
@@Zer0Spinn Can you give insight on what is beyond tritone subs and secondary dominants? just trying to understand where to go from here
"How'd you get so good at the piano?"
"I practiced."
Ya'll know what you need to do. Get to it.
practice what tho
@@JBRitchie8 piano
@@fantabanta1150 I mean how did he know what chords to play and that type of stuff
@@JBRitchie8 well that is either a development of music theory knowledge, or it is a your ears, over the years of playing you start to realize what sounds good together and what doesn't, even without music theory. Either way you have to practice piano or whatever instrument you want to get good at it, it won't come over night, no shortcuts.
@@jackdud8793 You mean playing music like songs by ear for example?
"I don't know what a root note is"
Spell is a madman and I love it
Happy to be in the spell masterclass
omg he has to make a series like this, “spell masterclass”
😂 you know what I mean when I say im flicking the fkn bass line...
@@onstandard "How to spell"
@@vael_ underated comment
Chat: "find the tonic"
"I'm not a fan of sparkling water"
1:06
😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂
man, I bet spell could learn music theory in a lazy weekend. Just by sitting down with a book and memorizing the names of the stuff he knows.
His practical theory is spot on
He already knows music theory, just lacking in the vocabulary and terms
For people with bad ears, you can cheat and learn at the same time by using an EQ that lets you hover the mouse over the spectrum and tells you what note that is. In Ableton that's EQ Eight, with the arrow clicked to expand it up bigger. Play the sample and hover the mouse over all the little peaks. Play those notes on the piano to compare.
find tonic ✔️ toss sparkling water ✔️
6:64 "Flick" = "Slide" = Legato sliding from a note to the note that hits the 'correct note' or 'root note'. Rickenbecker (Kontakt instrument he is using) basically emulates sliding your finger on the physical string of real bass it emulates so if you play a note then another while still holding the 1st it sound like that. You can also slide from a higher note but it generally doesn't sound as good.
If it was a synth you would need to have portamento/legato ON and possibly a polyphony of 1, depends. If this was a Piano then this ''flick" could be called a "Trill" or "Slip" since pianos can't slide.
Great video, I've watched hundreds of bassline videos and this is one of the best. 👍
I think the technical term is portamento if I'm not mistaken. Its what I usually dial up on violin plugins if I want that "human slide"
“find a tonic- i’m not a fan of sparkling water” 😭
Brilliant, this is like feeling around in the dark till you find the light switch. But when you do, you can see everything.
This has made my morning thank you, bass lines have been my obsession recently so this is hittinggggggg
I didn't know I was gay til I know the existence of spell
protect spell at all costs
thank u so much spell, love the simplicity 👑👑
Your videos are something that always make my days brighter. Your laid-back attitude and that the genuine joy of making beats are truly wonderful!
Thankyou Spell! Almost every video I watch of yours, I always think to myself how you do it? So cool to have you explain what how you go about your process and being you doing it. Not throwing all the technical jargon around and just saying it how it is to you! Love it bro
Homie found the mode first try with his ear.
he explains it well for us commoners
I learnt so much from this video. Thank you Spell!!
Insane amount of easy to grasp and important knowledge right there man
“Use two hands if you don’t know how to do the proper fingering” noted 📝
honestly, this bit of perspective helps a lot.
great and informative way to learn basslines. and Spell comical delivery makes it even better besides the fact that he is Hella dope
Appreciate you breaking it down g. No amount of technical knowledge can match your inner musician and just “figuring it out”. Always learning from your approach and steez
this is great man, as someone who knows a chunk of music theory there is still absolutely no substitute for actively using your ears and trying, trying again, practice
Watching this with bass guitar in hand. W vid
Literally just what I needed in my life
Your process is pleasing
thanks alot! i did try to figure out my bass lines myself and sometimes i got a good one, but i never knew what i had to focus on. now i know.
was just thinking bout how to get better at basslines after watching a vid of urs then this pops up in my recomendations
The most clear and relatable shit I’ve ever heard. Fuck ya
Knowledge 🎉
education
community
most underated producer!
"Flick" can also be called a grace note :)
A magician revealing the trick to how he cast his spells... 316
so generous to share your process!
Why are people so scared of music theory? It just helps you put a name to sounds that you already know. But the most important thing is training your ear.
You should collab with Tom Scott/avantdale bowling club bro I reckon you fellas could cook up some killer tracks x
Love to see your creative process. Ataahua
call this shit Spell Class
ty mate, very clever approach. i like it
BROOOOOO that intro sent me right back to my home in west auckland! 🤣🤣🤣what a G!!! hahaha love it bro. kia kaha
Thankyou spell
the fact that you mention your 20 year background at the beggining is so fucking inspiring
loving that hoodie
Can we get a video of your approach on how to chop samples? You’re so good at it and it’s never natural for me and it would be great to see your approach and knowledge on it
That's one of the easist tip videos (shit-class) to follow! Thank you, G!
I love sparking water though
thanks Spell316
Great breakdown! I'm a senior in music school, a self taught composer and jazz trained bassist who's been consecutively failing theory until a couple semesters ago and now I'm in the last of those classes and lemmie tell yall.....FUCK theory 🤣 it's literally just a Eurocentric explanation of what your ears can just hear, or not hear if you're tone deaf lol but it *can* help when you need it mind you.
Also to what you said about jammin to songs, yes! Literally learn your fav songs by ear and that will help immensely!
that was proper. well played.
Awesome video , TH-cam needs more peeps like you
spell with the secret sauce 🔥
LOL you little flicker (6:25) ...good stuff brother keep this great content coming
I love all of your vids, but I would love to see more shit classes like this lol. As a producer it helps a lot seeing the way other people go about doing stuff.
5:41 ngl that weird sound he made was kind hard with the beat xD i tought he would freestyle
mann what plugin are you using for your bass? sounds phat as hell
did you find out?
@@moiisenmusic it's the Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass. It's a Kontakt Library
spell tutorials kinda goated
Protect spell at all costs
we need more of professor spell🔥
What was that bass guitar VST again? Sounding sick!
Nice ClassterMas. Thanks.
Cheers Spell 🍻
anyone know what bass plugin he is using?
Love this guy
Flick = Slappin' d bass 🎸
Love your style, lol excellent
These are great. You should do more tutorial vids
‘I’m not a fan of like, sparkling water’ haha
Beast bro stuff music theory.
Thanks so much for making this vid, its helped sooooooooo much ahhah. would love to see one on chords as well! (I know its a crap tonne of experience haha but would love to see some of ur best tips etc!)
this was very helpful thank you for entering kenny's battle so i could be introduced to your music
"Use two hands if you fo fuckin don't know how to like... do the propper fingering" Hands down best advice for all the young men/women out there...
flick the notes..love it bro! lol
Just play to songs on the radio I did that shit for ten years😊
love your tips
I CANT PLAY IT BUT I USE MY YEARS AND I GET THERE .. HAVING A FULL SIZED PIANO AND PRATICING IS THE BEST CUZ SOMETIMES YOU JUST LET YOUR HANDS DO THE THING AND THEN YOU MOVE SOME NOTES IN THE PIANO ROLL
I make stinky basslines now thanks spell
If you wanna know about music theory, he's not our guy.............homie intrinsically knows theory like genius.
You should make tutorials more often. You know more about music theory than you think even if you don't know the terminology. You've developed a really strong musical intuition which imo means you likely have some tips or other little things to share that even someone who studies music theory wouldn't think to mention.
Also for anybody that likes the two note flick another good one to add some flavor to your music is to flick down one note so before you play a note you play the note that's right above it for a half a second. I find it's a good way to accentuate high notes.
How do you think he got to that point? Like what did he practice?
@@JBRitchie8 idk about him but personally most of what I've learned in my years making music just came from making music. The best way to practice is to just make alot of music. Experiment and don't be afraid to make bad songs just get stuff out and move on. May not be the fastest way to learn but it is a good way to build intuition and what you could call "musicsense".
Also don't be afraid to steal ideas from other songs (so long as you're not making money off it) or even just take a break from writing your own stuff and instead choosing to work with other people's music as well. The thing he showed in this video about listening to songs and trying to find the low notes is actually really good advice and you should definitely try it out.
@@degiguess Thanks, but I feel like I can't make music. I don't know which notes to press or how to play so I guess I have to play along songs and learn to play music first.
@@JBRitchie8 Something else you could try is finding existing chord progressions and using them as a base then trying to add your own bass and melodies to them. Also watch frankjavcee if you haven't already he has some good how to videos. His channel is abandoned but back when I first started making music he was the guru that got me through the initial "I have no clue what I'm doing" phase.
6:27 its called a slip note or hammer note, it became popular in country music in the 60s after Floyd Cramer used it in his songs btw thanks for being crazy at music lol
No it's called a flick. :)
@@eraldlesi can’t argue with that haha
Good info Dexter. I call it slide note because he is using bass. Slip is used for Piano and afaik it's not an official term. I've never heard of "Hammer Note" note but it's also valid since it probably cames from the Guitar term "Hammer On" which pretty much does the same thing only a lot faster then sliding.
great content
this is gold
oh MY GAWD YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE MUSEC?! dude HOLEE
you're a genious!
AND GUYS MAKE SURE YOU DONT HAVE ANY LATENCY WHEN PLAYING
Please do more of these types! You hit a nice balance here between explaining the process in creative terms, but not so much that it’s vague and useless advice
great help mahh g
Mah G thank u !
¡FREE KNOWLEDGE!
Gracias!
5:30 this man plays crazy lick after saying he was only gonna use 2 notes and asks what he just did cause once the keys started getting pushed down all he saw was red
flick the bean... thats what it means..
How do you get so good at the piano? I practice. People have no idea what that word means anymore. Wanna be good at something that's what is needed to get better. PRACTICE !! Great video bro.
Wooow Spell. Good ass video mah G. All helpful n shit
🎉🎉🎉
Can someone help me out?
Why do the low notes on bass sound so quiet compared to the higher bass notes? I feel like every time I use a bass, even if it’s just a sine wave, I have to automate the volume for the lower notes, but then it starts to redline. HELP! Does it have something to do with harmonics?
I love you spell
Fuccck this is gold bro!
Education🙌